Termites

Life History:During late winter or early spring, swarms of the reproductive caste may be noticed in infested buildings. These black, winged termites are the stage most commonly seen, since the other castes do not willingly expose themselves to light. Winged termites are attracted to light, and when they emerge within buildings, they swarm about doors and windows. After crawling or fluttering about for a short time, the termites break off their wings and locate a mate. Each pair attempts to locate moist wood in contact with the soil to start a new colony, but few succeed. Although they alarm the homeowner and can be a nuisance, no damage is done by the winged forms.How To Recognize Termites & Termite Damage​The presence of swarming termites or their wings alone is a sure sign that termites are working in a building. Winged termites are often confused with winged ants. Most species of ants in the house are only nuisances and, except for carpenter ants, do not damage wood. For this reason it is necessary to know the differences between winged termites and winged ants. The easiest way to distinguish the two groups is to look at their waists. An ant has a narrow, wasp-like waist; a termite has a broad waist. The antennae or feelers of ants are L-shaped, whereas those of termites are straight. Furthermore, the four wings of termites are of equal length and nearly twice as long as the termite body, while ant wings are approximately equal to the length of the ant, and the fore and hind wings are of unequal length.Wood attacked by termites has runways or passages that are coated with an earth-like material glued to the wood by the termites. Where the wood has been infested for some time, it may be largely hollowed out with passages and may be rotten in appearance (Fig. 6 & 7). Upon probing such wood with a screwdriver or similar tool, many of the hidden worker termites may spill out. Another sign of termites in the house is the presence of termite tubes (Figure 8). Termites make these earth-colored tubes for a number of reasons, primarily as a protected runway from the earth to the wood they feed on. Moreover, these tubes may serve as swarming exits for the winged termites. Look for these tubes on the cellar walls, on wooden posts, wall studs, mudsills, and door and window trim. Wood embedded in earth or in concrete cellar floors is especially susceptible to termites.We Provide Free Termite Inspections (not applicable to Real Estate Closings). ​*Information Sources: The Cooperative Extension Service College Of Food And Natural Resources, U.S. Department Of Agriculture.

did you know?

Termite Queens lay 6,000 to 7,000 eggs a day for up to 50 years?

Cockroaches are the fastest running insect, at one foot per second.

Horse flies are one of the fastest flying insects at 24 mph.

Mosquitoes; Love at first bite. Prefer children over adults and blondes over brunettes.

​The House Mouse can have 8 litters per year, 8 babies per litter and live up to 6 years.

Many species of ANTS are found here in the New England area. There are only a few however that are classified as pests within the home. Please give us a call to get a free consultation. You may have ants that are causing structural damage in which case you will want to address the problem before the repairs can get too costly. We have a system of treating the complete interior of your building as well as exterior treatments to prevent the ants from returning. Our treatments are safe for people and pets!